Who Was the Last NBA Player Drafted From High School?

Many people know that LeBron James was the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, but did you know he was the last player drafted out of high school? In this blog post, we take a look at who else was drafted out of high school and how their careers have fared.

Introduction

The National Basketball Association (NBA) draft is an annual event in which the teams in the league select new players to join their ranks. The draft has been in existence since 1947, and in that time there have been a number of players drafted directly out of high school. Although it is becoming increasingly rare for players to make the leap straight from high school to the NBA, it does still happen on occasion.

The most recent player to be drafted out of high school was Satnam Singh Bhamara, who was selected by the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the 2015 NBA draft. Singh had attended IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, and was the first Indian-born player to be drafted by an NBA team. He did not end up making the Mavericks’ roster and spent most of his time with their developmental league affiliate, the Texas Legends.

Prior to Singh, the last player to be drafted out of high school was Anthony Randolph in 2008. Randolph had been a highly touted prospect coming out of primary school, but he struggled during his one season at LSU before declaring for the draft. He was eventually selected 14th overall by the Golden State Warriors but failed to live up to expectations during his time in the NBA.

Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bean Bryant (born August 23, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. He played his entire 20-season career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was an 18-time All-Star, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, 12-time member of the All-Defensive team, and was the all-time leading scorer in Lakers franchise history. Bryant won five NBA championships with the Lakers and was awarded the Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award in 2008. He led the NBA in scoring during two seasons and ranks fourth on both the league’s all-time regular season scoring and all-time postseason scoring lists. Since retirement, Bryant has been involved in various business ventures: he launched Kobe Inc. in 2013; is a partner of sports drink manufacturer BodyArmor; investments include sports media startup Sports Illustrated Play; he has also written, produced, and narrated several documentary films, such as Kobe Doin’ Work (2009) and Dear Basketball (2017).

Bryant was drafted into the NBA directly out of high school by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th overall pick in 1996. He was traded to the Lakers on July 1, 1996 for center Vlade Divac.

LeBron James

LeBron James was the last NBA player to be drafted out of high school. He was selected first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2003 NBA Draft. James has gone on to have a successful NBA career, winning three championships and four MVP Awards.

Dwight Howard

Dwight David Howard (born December 8, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a eight-time NBA All-Star, eight-time All-NBA Team member, five-time All-Defensive member, and three-time Defensive Player of the Year. Howard set numerous franchise and league records during his eight seasons with the Orlando Magic. He was traded to the Rockets in 2013.

Conclusion

Kobe Bean Bryant was the last NBA player to be drafted out of high school. He was selected with the 13th pick in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets and then traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.